ASU East: Foreign students give thanks in own ways
Though Thanksgiving is an American holiday, many international students at ASU East celebrated it and added their own cultural flair. Fernando Torres, a senior in the professional flight program, said he believed people in America are willing to share the holiday with foreign students.

ASU East: Cops collect toys for tots during food drive
Ten ASU families from each campus will be receiving gifts and food collected from the ASU Police for their first-ever food and toy drive this month. Police have been involved in food drives in the past, but east campus police Commander Mark Roberts said adding toys is new for ASU.

Police Beat: 75 mph drive takes a turn for the worse
The incidents reported by ASU and Tempe police, including a man arrested after officers witnessed him driving 75 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. He allegedly attempted to evade officers and made an illegal left turn, losing control and hitting a parked vehicle and water line.

Profs get decision on plus/minus grading
Incoming and current students could receive plus/minus grades next fall, but whether they do or not is up to their professors, according to a report released Tuesday.

Plus/minus grades will range from A-plus at a 4.33 grade point to a C-plus at a 2.33 grade point, the report said. A team of faculty and students developed the report.

Half of ASU's students may live on campus
Designers for ASU's Comprehensive Development Plan told Tempe residents Tuesday that they hope eventually to house half of the University's growing student population on campus.

As the main campus expands from 45,000 to 50,000 students, designers hope to add enough beds to reach that goal, said Adam Gross, principle planner for developer Ayers/Saint/ Gross at a meeting.

Hall's enthusiasm for life, and for writing, has driven him to compile 33 of his poems into a book called "Walks on Wheels." Poetry is one tool Hall uses to keep himself content.

Stein speaks on biz bashing
Ben Stein has written books, acted in movies, written presidential speeches and hosted a game show. But he spoke Tuesday at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Phoenix about "Why Bashing Big Business is Big Business in Hollywood" as part of a Goldwater Institute Speaker Series.

Culture, coffee mix at annual Holiday Coffee
This year's 48th Annual Holiday Coffee will showcase a variety of cultures and offer coffee and cookies to ASU staff, faculty, retirees and students. The event will begin today at 9 a.m. in the Arizona and Ventana ballrooms at the Memorial Union and is open to all students, faculty and staff.

'Average Joe' pads latest episode with fat suit gimmick
Between the accusations of pretension, reenactments, the clash of the self-appointed 'drinkers and thinkers' and a lovely replication of Shallow Hal-ness, we have "Average Joe." Still, the obvious bachelor of choice is Adam, the affluent Wall Street Trader.

Metalhead rocks the 80s with long hair, leopard print
Sure, they're men with really long hair and tight pants. And yes, they wear leather and leopard prints. But they make their music look good, and sound good too. The band can fill up a bar with an excited crowd on any Sunday night.

Concert Review: Arizona's own ska band hits Modified Arts
Here in Arizona, ska and reggae bands thrive as a small cornerstone of underground music. Enter Warsaw Poland Bros. Together since the early 1990's, these hopelessly talented bar musicians have consumed audiences with amorous lyrics, memorizing horn licks and insatiable drum beats.

The trials and tribulations of repelling girls
If their band name is any indication, the members of Girl Repellent should be the type of guys a girl would not want to be within 20 miles of. Nothing could be further from the truth. Girl Repellent has been using its own brand of charm for more than six years on the Phoenix local band scene.

Jak and Daxter return in 'Jak II'
Jak is back and this time he's pissed off, as both Jak and Daxter make their return in Naughty Dog's Jak II. Like Aeon Flux and the main character in Grand Theft Auto III, Jak didn't really have much to say in the first game. In Jak II though, he has diarrhea of the mouth.

'Quidditch World Cup:' Beautiful but boring game
Harry Potter and his Hogwart's pals come to life PlayStation-style in EA Games' Quidditch World Cup, but the game lacks the magic and adventure of the Potter books and movies. Rich with vibrant graphics and easy-to-follow tutorials, the game is visually brilliant and easy to master.

Kick some Commie butt with 'Freedom Fighters'
What would you do if Russia had invented the hydrogen bomb, dropped it on Berlin to end World War II, spread Communism throughout the world and ultimately invaded New York City? If your answer is "pick up a gun and kill some Commies," you need to play Freedom Fighters, the latest multiplatform action monster from EA Games.

'NFL Blitz Pro' can't revive lackluster game series
Personally, I have been partial toward games that have a feeling of real life and simulation to them. I would rather build a dynasty from scratch in a football or basketball vehicle then control an oversized linebacker to inflict damage on an equally oversized running back. This is where NFL Blitz Pro failed.

Leave 'Kirby Air Ride' for the kids
In search of quick fix before the release of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, I decided to give the cutesy Kirby Air Ride a shot. Then I used the disc as a clay pigeon and went at it with my 12-gauge.

OPINIONS

Reflections of a soldier
Samantha Xanthos, a State Press contributor, served six months of the spring and summer in Iraq and Kuwait with an Army fuel-transport unit. Now home and back at ASU, she recalls her life and how it changed.

Cat in the Hat products could save lagging economy
New movies like "The Cat in the Hat" are weighted down with a wider variety of product placements and endorsements than ever to bolster their revenues. I am confident that we can rescue our sagging economy within days by consuming all officially endorsed Cat in the Hat products.

Editorial: FERPA shields students from real world
The extraneous veil of secrecy FERPA provides should end where public life begins. The flip side of its over-18 rule is most students aren't kids anymore - and adults, on campus or off, should play in the big league.

Rather than review Triumph's somewhat tasteless production, I decided to rant about the whole Thanksgiving brew-ha-ha that everyone has to go through.

SPORTS

Football: Koetter says Walter improved in '03
Some may say that if a quarterback has smaller numbers and his team is less successful than the previous season, then he didn't have a good year. Both player and coach believe that Walter is an improved player and ASU's unquestioned leader despite playing through a 5-7 season.

Men's basketball hits road for first time this season
Not very often in nonconference play does a team have a lot of hands-on experience against its opponent, but that will be the case tonight when the ASU men's basketball team takes on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb. The two teams met last year in a hoops tournament, and ASU won.

X-country reached new heights
Both the women and the men's cross country teams saw their share of achievement this year, but for the women the achievement lasted the entire fall, while the men struggled toward the end in the final meets.

Hump Day Hoopla: The year's last hump-ra
For the final Hump Day Hoopla of the semester, members of The State Press sports staff are taking a final opportunity to speak what's on their minds. Sports Editor Andrew Bernick said he has tried to attempt to get interested in hockey this season, but can't do it.